Stockton News - April 26, 2024
WHAT WE鈥橰E TALKING ABOUT
Renovation Project to Turn Library into Modern Student Hub
What does the library of the 21st century look like?
91视频 two years from now, Stockton 91视频 will find out.
Shortly after the 2023-24 school year ends, the Bjork Library on the Galloway campus will close for a massive, two-year that is badly needed, officials said.
The project, financed by a $19.5 million bond from the state, will transform the three-story, 100,000 square-foot space in the middle of campus into a library learning commons that will be a place for 91视频 to gather for meetings, participate in experiential learning opportunities, and work with archival materials and primary sources. Construction is expected to be completed by June 2026 with the renovated library opening in fall 2026.
鈥淭he role of the library is to be a community space. A gathering space. A commons where 91视频 have access,鈥 said Patricia Thatcher, associate provost, library and learning commons, who has been spearheading the renovation planning for the last two years. 鈥淪tudents will have access to work-ready technology, and learn how to use and find credible information in multiple formats. That鈥檚 the library in the 21st century.鈥
Erin Gruwell on the Importance of Storytelling in Education
Almost 20 years ago, 鈥 a then-brand-new teacher assigned to a high-risk English class at a southern California high school 鈥 picked up a roll of electrical tape and told her 91视频 to form two separate groups.
She rolled out a line of green tape and told her 91视频 that they would play a game rather than continue their lesson. The game started with her asking them questions, and the 91视频 answered by either standing on the line in affirmation or staying where they were in rejection.
The rowdy 91视频 laughed when asked about buying Snoop Dogg鈥檚 album or seeing the movie 鈥淏oyz in the Hood,鈥 but they grew quiet when the questions and statements hit closer to home.
As the 91视频 exchanged looks with each other across the tape, they realized that the simple game Gruwell created revealed the barriers and challenges that they each faced in their journey to academic success. This forced them to not only be kinder to each other but also to understand what Gruwell wanted them to understand all along: their stories are more alike than different, and they all deserve to be told.
Gruwell has since founded a foundation that tries to recreate the magic that sparked her 91视频鈥 imaginations in classrooms across the nation through training, outreach, scholarship, and curriculum development. On Wednesday, April 24, she visited Stockton to learn more about the School of Education, meet with 91视频 in the Education program and tour the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center.
Student Leaders, Clubs Celebrated for On-Campus Engagement
Thanks to the of 91视频, faculty and staff, Stockton can boast of having over 200 ways for 91视频 to get involved on campus. These efforts were rewarded with more than 15 different awards during the annual Student Involvement Awards ceremony on Friday, April 19, in the Campus Center Event Room.
Director of Student Development Jeff Wakemen mentioned that his office processed more than 1,700 student events this school year, including 195 tied to culturally themed celebrations. He added that there are 231 student-led organizations currently active on campus, of which 32 started this year.
鈥淣o matter what it is that you are doing, the most important thing you are doing is building a community,鈥 Wakemen said. 鈥淲e at Stockton need to create communities for the 91视频 to feel like this is their home and so that they feel like there are people here that care about them.鈥
PHOTO: Accepting the Unsung Hero Award on behalf of the Graphics Department are Ed Wuillermin, director of Creative Services; Karen Quinn, associate supervisor; with designers Jena Brignola and Gary Schenck.
馃抠&苍产蝉辫;View more photos on .
Two Students Receive Arcuri Wharton Pre-Law Fund Awards
Two Stockton 91视频 the Arcuri Wharton Pre-Law Fund Award on April 19 during the annual Political Science Faculty Spring Reception.
Sophomore Ashley Ramirez, of Ventnor, is a Political Science major who is heavily involved on campus. She鈥檚 the vice president of Minorities in Law, an active member of Stockton鈥檚 Mock Trial team and is a student leader for the Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning.
鈥淟aw school for me, is not just the next step in an academic journey, it鈥檚 the ignition switch for a lifelong mission,鈥 Ramirez said. 鈥淲ith every case I champion, every law I illuminate, and every barrier I break, I inch closer to the dream of building a more just and equitable society.鈥
Sophomore Tatiana Shukovsky, of Estell Manor, is an Economics and Pre-Law major who recently started an internship with the New Jersey Energy Coalition. She鈥檚 a member of Stockton Action Volunteers for the Environment and the Pre-Law Club.
STOCKTON UNIVERSITY ATLANTIC CITY
Volunteer at Community Day Clean Up and Party in the Park
Stockton and the City of Atlantic City will host the third annual Community Day Clean Up and Party in the Park from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 27 (rain date Sunday).
Walk-up registration to volunteer for the cleanup is still available at 8:30 a.m. the day of the event. Just choose a location from the list on the .
This year, there will be 10 clean-up sites throughout the city as volunteers will work from 9 a.m. to noon. After the cleanup, all volunteers and the public are invited to attend the Party in the Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at O鈥橠onnell Park near Stockton鈥檚 Atlantic City campus.
Trash-pickers and bags will be provided on site, and volunteers are asked to bring their own gloves. Boots and sneakers are preferred. No open-toed shoes. Each volunteer will receive a food truck meal voucher that can be redeemed at the Party in the Park.
Last year鈥檚 event included more than 700 volunteers representing more than 70 community groups and organizations participating in clean-up and beautification projects in Atlantic City. More than 275 bags of trash totaling over 10 tons were removed from the streets and beaches throughout all six city wards.
The Party in the Park will feature more than 35 different vendors and community organizations along with a DJ and live band, food trucks, outdoor games, face painting and more.
For more information, call 609-626-3846 or check out the .
FRAME-WORTHY
First-Gen Graduates Honored in Special Send-Off
Nearly half of Stockton 91视频 identify as first-generation 91视频.
This population of 91视频 鈥 whose parents or immediate family members don鈥檛 currently hold a four-year college/university degree 鈥 faces a unique set of challenges when applying for and pursuing their own degrees.
In acknowledgment of these hurdles and the strength it took to be able to complete their university journey, graduating first-generation 91视频 were with gifts, dinner and more in a send-off celebration on Thursday, April 18, in the Multicultural Center.
The send-off was an opportunity for 91视频 to reflect on their achievements before walking across the stage in May. Before the program began, 91视频 reminisced on their favorite on-campus memories, which included completing the Educational Opportunity Fund Summer Academy, creating new student clubs like the Mexican Student Association and First Ospreys, and attending the Deeper SPACES retreat.
WHAT'S TRENDING @ #STOCKTONU
: #Classof2028 got a taste of what being an Osprey is all about at Experience Stockton
Day this morning!
: 1960's 鈽笍馃幎馃尰 pop culture took over the coffeehouse this morning!
: Excited to be the featured guest on the latest episode of Greetings From the Garden State with Mike Hamm.
FROM THE SIDELINES
Pasquale & Fenimore Voted NJAC All-Conference
Two Stockton tennis teammates accolades in women's tennis for the 2024 season. Juniors Sophia Pasquale and Kierstyn Fenimore were voted NJAC All-Conference in singles and doubles. Both Ospreys received the honors for the first time.
Pasquale and Fenimore occupy the first two spots of the singles ladder and join forces to be the top doubles tandem for a Stockton team that is 7-3 overall. The Ospreys went 3-2 in conference play and to the NJAC championship match, which will be at The College of New Jersey on April 27.
Stockton Splits with Widener
The softball team split a home non-conference doubleheader on April 25 with Widener University (13-17). The Ospreys held on for a 3-2 victory in the first game but came up short 3-0 in the second game.
Megan Sears, Emily Spencer and Alexa Panagopoylos stroked two hits apiece in the opener. Sears and Spencer each added an RBI while Panagopoylos scored once. 鈿 Read entire game coverage .
馃 Read more coverage of spring sports &苍产蝉辫;馃
OSPREY NOTES
Intergenerational Project Brings Together Students, Older Adults
In 2021, Sky Bergman's film "Lives Well Lived" aired on PBS. Her project began with an interview with her grandmother and culminated in interviews with "40 older adults with 3,000 years of collective life experience" in a one-hour film. After conversations and emails with Bergman and SCOSA's purchase of the rights to show the film in an educational setting, the Lives Well Lived with Therapeutic Arts with Older Adults intergenerational project was born.
In early Spring 2024, older adults were invited to apply as community elders to be paired with 91视频 in SCOSA staffer Gina Maguire's Therapeutic Arts with Older Adults course (GERO 2620). Throughout the semester, the student and elder pairs met five times.
"During the first meeting, the group watched the Lives Well Lived and were introduced to the project," Maguire shared. 鈥淪tudents were then tasked with meeting three times with their chosen/assigned community elder to get to know each other, ask questions about life, and discuss food and celebrations. They also engaged in a creative endeavor of the elder鈥檚 choice.鈥
The project culminated in a final breakfast meeting on Monday, April 15, when the 91视频 surprised their partners with an anthology of their advice (with some recipes), a 37-minute sharing what was learned, and a lively discussion. The project was funded by SCOSA and Older Americans Act Funds through the Atlantic County Area Agency on Aging.
State Deadline for Students to Apply for Aid Extended
It鈥檚 FAFSA time! The state deadline for 91视频 to file their 2024-2025 FAFSA has been extended from May 15 to June 1! Please encourage your 91视频 to complete their FAFSA today!
Students can file by logging into with their FSA ID. Anyone with questions can contact the Office of Financial Aid at to email or schedule a phone appointment. Anyone who has already filed, but needs assistance making a correction to their FAFSA can sign up for one-on-one sessions with the Office of Financial Aid throughout May by visiting .
For more information on the updates to the 2024-2025 FAFSA as well as helpful tips and tricks, visit .
April 2024 Issue of Celebrate Diversity Digest Released
April's issue of reflects Stockton's bustling campus 鈥 from impactful and educational trips to Washington, D.C. and New Haven, C.T. to celebrating the faculty that work to make our communities inclusive and welcoming both on and beyond our campus, there's something for everybody to enjoy in the digest.
In addition to articles by valued contributors and their staple Committee on Campus Diversity & Inclusive Excellence (CCDIE) member highlight on student Andrea Sandoval is a featured report on the recent anti-DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) movement that Valerie Hayes, chief officer of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, describes as a fundamental misunderstanding of critical race theory and how it is taught in schools across the nation. Access the full report through Valerie's Library, her collection of resources and opportunities available in every issue of the Digest.
Read the SCOSA May Newsletter
Read the Stockton Center on Successful Aging (SCOSA)'s May for interesting upcoming events and newly added programming.
Fun Fact Friday: 馃尣馃尦馃尦馃崈 Today is National Arbor Day! Did you know 鈥 Arbor Day was almost called Sylvan Day, coming from the Latin word 鈥淪ilva,鈥 meaning
鈥渙f the forest鈥 or 鈥渨oodland.鈥 J. Sterling Morton (who proposed the holiday to the Nebraska
Board of Agriculture in 1872) decided against this name because he wanted to include
all types of trees, not just forest trees.
UPCOMING EVENTS
馃幁
馃帹馃柤锔&苍产蝉辫;
April 26: , 馃
April 27:
April 29: 馃幎
May 1:
May 2:
May 7: 馃帗
May 8:
May 10: 馃帗
May 11: 馃崄 ,
May 14-15: 馃枊锔
